Audit Office NI: new report on Civil Service finds issues raised previously have escalated

Rising sickness absence levels and thousands of vacant posts were highlighted today in a new report concluding that the Northern Ireland Civil Service had "not delivered the scale and pace of reform" needed to show value for money in its workforce.

The Audit Office NI report found sickness absence levels had grown to an average of more than 13 days lost per staff member in a year.

Auditor General Dorinnia Carville said the annual cost of sickness levels was now close to £50 million.

She also found that last year there were close to 5,500 vacant posts in the Civil Service.

The auditor said NICS has "not delivered the scale and pace of reform necessary to demonstrate value for money in its workforce and people management".

In April 2025, the Civil Service workforce in Northern Ireland was 24,500. Its pay bill last year was £1.27 billion.

It is the third-largest public sector employer in the region, after health and education.

The Audit Office report is a follow-up to its 2020 report into NICS, stating that many problems it previously highlighted have escalated.

The report found:

• There were nearly 5,500 vacant posts declared by the NICS on March 31 2025.

• There is a "greater reliance on temporary staffing solutions". The report said nearly 5,000 agency workers were employed last April, more than double the number recorded in April 2019.

• More than 3,000 NICS staff were temporarily promoted (representing 13% of the workforce).

• Sickness absence levels have risen to an average of 13.4 days lost per staff year in 2024-25, compared with 12.6 days in 2018-19.

• 57.6% of staff recorded no sickness days in year.

• The costs associated with sickness absence have also increased, from £32.9 million in 2018-19 to £48.8 million in 2024-25.

The report said there has been a "lack of progress in key strategic areas, such as workforce planning and recruitment".

It also expressed concern over the affordability of filling vacant posts.

Ms Carville said a number of recommendations from the 2020 Audit Office report are still to be implemented.

Her latest report said there had been improvements in enhanced governance arrangements with the establishment of a People Committee, a new People Strategy for 2025-30, and the launch of new apprenticeship, student and work placement programmes.

However, it said that "without sustained, collective leadership and urgent delivery, the NICS is at continued risk of failing to demonstrate value for money".

Ms Carville said: "Strong leadership and a right-sized workforce that has the requisite skills are essential for the NICS to successfully deliver critical public services and meet the priorities set out in the 2024-2027 Programme for Government.

"This requires a modernised approach to how the workforce is planned, recruited and managed.

"It is very disappointing that progress on implementing such reforms has fallen short of expectations arising from previous commitments, and that sickness absence rates remain high.

"The NICS is such an important workforce for Northern Ireland's public services and, therefore, publication of a five-year People Strategy in April 2025 is welcome.

"Strong, collective leadership and urgent action from the NICS board and senior civil servants will be key in delivering it.

"There is an opportunity now to utilise new technologies to accelerate the scale of transformation needed to improve efficiency and effectiveness and maximise the value for money of the NICS."

Meanwhile, The FDA, the union for senior leaders in the NI civil service has called for political leadership to address structural issues facing the NICS.

Commenting on the report, FDA National Officer for NI, Robert Murtagh said: “The size and shape of the civil service should be determined by a coherent and consistent vision from Ministers. Civil servants need clear objectives and proper resources to deliver better outcomes for the people of Northern Ireland.

“The structure of the NICS is unique compared to counterparts in Great Britain, with nine departments, each their own legal entities with civil servants accountable to their individual Minister. This constitutional reality is reflective of the NI political structure and requires ministerial leadership to successfully deliver civil service transformation and ensure value for money for taxpayers.

“While there are aspects of this report that highlight significant issues facing the NICS, including sickness absence, vacancy levels and overreliance on temporary staffing solutions, the report fails to sufficiently analyse the difficult context within which the NICS is operating.

“It is simply an unavoidable fact that the NICS and its leaders have faced significant challenges in recent years, stemming from the pandemic, Windsor framework implementation, collapse of the Executive and ongoing budgetary and resource challenges."